Alone Is Where The Heart Is
by swimmergirl17
Summary: Holly Wilson was just a normal high school freshman until a devastating virus- a virus resulting in death and then reanimation- began to take over the world's population. With no more family and just her friends, will she be able to aid in solving the huge problem the world is facing? OC. Rated T for some language.
1. Testing

_All she knew was that she had to run. The crowd of people followed her, or at least she thought they were people; they looked almost human, the same mouths, noses, and ears, but it was the eyes, the yellow eyes, that made them different. She continued to run towards the distant building, but the closer she got, the further away it became. Letting out a cry of frustration, she whirled about to see where the hideous 'people' were. They were right on top of her. Hopeless, she screamed as the people descended upon her, tearing into her flesh. _

Holly awoke in her own bed, drenched in sweat. She sat up, gasping for air. Her skin was crawling from that awful dream. She calmed for a moment, breathing normally.

"It was just a dream." She muttered to herself, pulling the covers back over her body and slipping into an uneasy sleep.

"Holly! It's time to get up!" Yelled Mrs. Wilson. There was no response from Holly's bedroom. Mrs. Wilson called again.

"HOLLY!" She yelled, much louder this time.

"I'm up, I'm up," Holly mumbled groggily. "No need to yell."

Mrs. Wilson smiled and continued to pack her daughter's lunch. Today was an important day: the start of final exams at Kennedy High. Thankfully, Holly's first exam was Spanish I, her easiest class, so her lack of sleep wouldn't hurt her too much.

"How did you sleep, dear?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

"I had a nightmare, and after that I didn't get much." Holly said, stifling a yawn. "I hope it doesn't affect my exam grade!"

The moment after she finished her sentence, her father came into the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee. He kissed his wife, and then kissed his daughter on the cheek.

"What's this I hear about exam grades?" He said, jokingly. Holly grinned, and then checked the clock.

"I have to catch the bus," She said walking for the door. "Love you both!"

She hopped on the bus and took a window seat. At the next stop, her friend Viktoria Rawlins boarded and plopped down next to her.

"Hey." She said hurriedly. Her face was crammed in the textbook Introduction to Spanish 1. Holly shook her head and laughed, and then continued to look out of the window. She could see the air; it was hot and thick, like some kind of mask on the earth. At this time of the year in southern Georgia, it wasn't an uncommon heat. She turned back to Viktoria, who had sadly put her book aside and accepted her failure.

"What's up?" Holly asked.

"Well I am so not ready for this exam." Viktoria said, and they both burst into laughter. They had become friends through Spanish class, because Holly was good at Spanish, while Viktoria was horrendously bad. The bus finally halted outside of Kennedy High, and the students began to pour off the bus.

"I'll see you at the exam, Holly!" Viktoria called, and Holly waved her goodbye. She headed for her locker on the second floor so she could stash her stuff before the exam. Her portion of the freshman hallway was pretty packed, but she could pick out the faces of her other friends. First, Chip Radford and his sister, Cindy, then Izzy Holbrook and her boyfriend Brady Benton, who was also the star pitcher of the JV baseball team, Ali Pearsall from the volleyball team, and finally Harrison Fauth, captain of the water polo team and president of chess club. She waved hello to this mass of people, who all waved back, and continued to her locker. Principal Vickers came over the intercom.

"Students, please report to your exam rooms. We will begin testing in five minutes."

After this announcement, the hallway cleared rapidly, students skittering off to exam rooms. Holly headed to the cafeteria, where all the Spanish exams were taken. She walked in, received her exam, and sat down. After writing her name, the date, and all the other required information, the alarms went off.


	2. Strong

The teachers moved much more quickly than the students; not a one had stood up or even moved after the announcement, partially out of shock, but mostly out of fear. Principal Vickers came over the intercom once more, repeating the same message:

"Please pardon the interruption, the government has issued a biological hazard warning,"

A few screams were heard throughout the buildings of the school.

"We will be dismissing ALL students in twenty minutes. At this time, all students, faculty, and staff report back to the main building."

There was a massive scrape of chairs on the linoleum floors in the cafeteria. The students headed for the doors, and pushing them open, sprinted for the main building. Holly noticed that the air looked sort of smoggy, like the exhaust of a car. Twenty minutes later, everyone piled onto the buses they had been on barely an hour before.

Viktoria took her seat next to Holly. This time they cracked no jokes.

At her stop, Viktoria turned to Holly and said "Text me when you get home, and hopefully I'll see you soon."

She walked carefully down the stairs and sprinted to her door, where her family was waiting for her. Holly turned away from the window, and began to wonder if her parents were okay. They were probably home too, right? Holly shook off the thought of the absence of her parents at home. _They were fine_, she reassured herself.

At her stop, Holly sprinted down the bus stairs to her garage. She punched in the door code, unlocked her house, and ran in, all in about twenty-five seconds.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked of the house. There was no response.

"Mom? Dad?" She said again, fear now creeping into her voice. She walked through the rooms of the house, searching for her parents. They were nowhere to be found. Panicking now, she texted each one. Then, she texted Viktoria.

"My parents aren't here." She typed. "Help me out?"

Holly went to her room, flopped down onto her bed, and cried. She was very worried about her parents, about what was going on, and about what she was going to do. Drying her tears, she walked into the living room and turned on the news. The news wasn't very good, either.

"Breaking news! Atlanta overrun, CDC unsure of problem." The headline flashed. A pretty blond news anchor appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, Georgia." She said elegantly. "This morning at approximately 9:00, a special virus being tested at Atlanta's Center for Disease Control and other facilities around the world contaminated the air. Citizens are warned not to go outside for at least 24 hours. It is also recommended that your doors stay locked. Also, if you encounter any strange or sick individuals, do not confront them. They are potentially dangerous. And now we hear from our correspondent in downtown Atlanta."

The footage flashed to a shot of downtown Atlanta, where a man was standing with crowds of people behind him.

"As you can see here, downtown Atlanta is crowded with people demanding answers to this phenomenon. These people want to know what's-"

Just as the man was finishing his sentence, a soldier popped onto the camera.

"I'm with the National Guard." He said. He turned to look at the camera. "Every citizen in downtown Atlanta is asked to evacuate within the next three hours because of the eminent danger caused by the escape of the virus from the CDC. There will be legal consequences if anyone remains. Thank you."

With that, the soldier left the stunned newsman.

Holly turned off the news. She attempted to call her parents, but there was no response. There was a text from Viktoria.

"See you in 24 hours. We're coming to get you tomorrow, so be packed up." It read.

Holly looked at the text, her eyes brimming with tears. Her parents must be gone. The hot, salty tears rolled down her face and dripped on the flooring. Since she was alone, she could cry as much as she wanted; those were the only tears she shed. She had to be strong now.


End file.
